The Valley (1976 film)

The Valley is a 1976 stop motion live action[1] adventure/fantasy[2] post-apocalyptic short film made by a then fifteen-year-old Peter Jackson with his friends.[3][4] It was strongly influenced by the films of Ray Harryhausen. It was filmed silent on a Super 8 camera and was shown on the children's television show Spot On.

The Valley
Directed byPeter Jackson
Starring
  • Ken Hammon
  • Peter Jackson
  • Andrew Neal
Edited byPeter Jackson
Release date
  • 1976 (1976)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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Four prospectors walk into a valley and unwittingly enter a rift in the time/space continuum. As they journey down the valley, one of the prospectors (Ian Middleton) gets taken away by a harpy. Another prospector (Peter Jackson) falls off a cliff. The two remaining (Ken Hammon and Andrew Neal) have to fight and destroy a cyclops. They build a raft, float across a lake, and see a building in ruins. This ruin, unbeknownst to them, is the Beehive building of Wellington city – they have not travelled back in time but ahead into a post-apocalyptic world taken over by mythical beasts.

Cast

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Reception

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The short has been described as "a tribute to special effects master Ray Harryhausen".[5]

References

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  1. ^ Vossen, Ursula (2004). Von Neuseeland nach Mittelerde: die Welt des Peter Jackson (in German). Schüren. ISBN 978-3-89472-349-1.
  2. ^ "10 great films by really young directors". British Film Institute. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. ^ The Valley (Short 1976) – IMDb, retrieved 10 April 2023
  4. ^ The Valley (1976), retrieved 10 April 2023
  5. ^ Woods, Paul A. (2005). Peter Jackson: From Gore to Mordor. Plexus. ISBN 978-0-85965-356-5.

Bibliography

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  • Peter Jackson: From Prince of Splatter to Lord of the Rings by Ian Pryor

Secondary filmography

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  • Good Taste Made Bad Taste (Documentary) by Tony Hiles
  • Recreating the Eighth Wonder: Making King Kong (Documentary) by Michael Pellerin
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